Experimental and numerical investigation of solar air collector with phase change material in column obstruction

Abstract

The drying of agricultural items, including fruits, vegetables, and seeds, as well as industrial processes and space heating, all frequently include the usage of solar air collectors (SAC). This study investigates phase change material (PCM), which is useful for thermal storage and is used as a column obstruction to improve thermal performance. According to the outside data, a new configuration of the sun simulator was employed to supply a wide range of solar flux. In order to validate the numerical results, experimental and numerical studies were conducted using three different mass flow rates (0.01531, 0.02321, and 0.02973 kg/s) using three months' worth of intensity data. The SIMPLE algorithm approach was used to solve 3-D, steady-state, turbulent, and forced convection flow in FORTRAN 90 using a mathematical model based on a finite volume scheme. Numerical simulation results were carried out for three cases: flat plate without obstacles, flat plate with obstacles, and flat plate with obstacles and PCM. The results show that the maximum temperature difference reached 30 °C under the impact of radiation at 950 W/m2 and a mass flow rate of 0.01531 kg/s (with obstacles, no PCM). The storage period and the air temperature difference were reached at 2 h with 10.12–4.1 °C, 2 h with 7.8–2.9 °C, and 2 h with 5–1.5 °C, for various solar intensity and air mass flow rates of (0.01531, 0.02321, and 0.02973 kg/s), respectively. In-depth methodology verification confirms great agreement and an acceptable difference between the numerical and experimental results.